[Rockhounds] Micromounters of NE Annual Symposium

[Horst Windisch]

Hi Joe (and others),

Have just read your announcement re the Annual Mini-Symposium. What was 
ineresting  ws the presentation  on the "Micominnals of Palabora Mine, South 
Africa". We as members of the South African Micromount Society (SAMS), have 
been down in the Open Pit twice to collect miro materia.l when John Gliddon 
was still working on the mine (must have been in the eighties sometime). 
Cnnot check on the exact dates as all my date is in the cellar, to which I 
do not have access at the moment, as I am busy recodering from a hip 
treplacement operation (which was performed on the 22nd April - two days 
before my birthday).

With the change of government in 1994, South African towns and cities are 
undergoing  name changes, as well as subdividing the four original provines 
into nine.Name changes do not apply to mining companies as such, thus a full 
description of the locality, prevously know as the Palabora Mining Company, 
Phalaborwa, SOUTH AFRICA is now known as the Palabora Mining Company, 
Ba-Phalaborwa, Limpopo, SOUTH AFRICA .

Regards,

Horst

 <bassmeister_2000 at yahoo.com>
To: <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 12:14 PM
Subject: [Rockhounds] Micromounters of NE Annual Symposium


> Hi All,
> I posted this submission last week but the text wrapping went awry.
>
> The 2008 Micromounters of New England Annual Mini-Symposium will be held 
> on Saturday, May 17, 2008 at the Elk's Lodge in Hudson MA.
>
> Guest speaker will be by longtime member Bill Henderson. A very successful 
> chemist by trade, Bill cultivated a passion for micromineralogy and taught 
> himself to use a polarizing microscope. Bill has an extensive collectiopn 
> of  14,000 mounted specimens and the honor of having a mineral named after 
> him: Willhendersonite.
>
> Bill will present three talks:
>
> Microminerals of the Palabora Mine, South Africa
>
> The Palabora Mine, located near the town of Phalaborwa (yes, the spellings 
> are correct) is working in a carbonatite rock.  Carbonatites are extremely 
> rare, igneous rocks composed mostly of calcite.  Several elements found 
> only in trace amounts in granites, etc., are concentrated in carbonatites, 
> and these crystallize to form rare minerals.  In most cases, such minerals 
> are massive or, more properly, anhedral.  Only rarely are the minerals at 
> Palabora or elsewhere found in open cavities where thay form nice 
> specimens.  Examples of such, obtained by exchange with the mine 
> superintendent no less, are shown in this talk.
>
> Microminerals of Italy
>
> Italy has experienced an extremely varied geological history, resulting in 
> a great number of rock types and parageneses.  These in turn have lead  to 
> an amazing number of mineral species.  In fact, it would be hard to find 
> any country of a similar size with so many.  Further,  a substantial 
> fraction of these species occur in truly beautiful micro crystals.  This 
> talk will show these species arranged by their chemistry and paragenesis.
>
> Microminerals of Etruscan Slags
>
> In pre-Roman days, the Etruscans mined ores on the island of Elba, where 
> Napoleon was exiled, and carried them by sea by the thousands of tons per 
> year to the region of Populonia on the Italian mainland. There, they were 
> smelted, but only poorly, leaving much metal behind in gas cavities in the 
> slags.  This metal has reacted over time with sea water to form a variety 
> of attractive microminerals such as fiedlerite, barstowite, shattuckite, 
> spangolite and very rare species.
>
> A Symposium Registration Form can be downloaded from the Micromounter’s 
> website at http://www.micromountersofnewengland.org
>
> Our annual symposium is always a great way to see old faces, connect with 
> the new friends and see what is current in the study of micromounts.
>
> Your ticket will include a catered lunch that is always superb. There are 
> door prizes, a silent raffle, a sales table to benefit the club and as 
> always, a giveaway table with some pretty neat stuff from well known 
> localities.
>
> Non-members are encouraged to attend not only the symposium, but any of 
> our regular monthly meetings.
>
> For more information, please visit the Micromounters of New England 
> website at: http://www.micromountersofnewengland.org or feel free to email 
> me at bassmeister_2000 at yahoo.com
>
> Thank you!
> Joe Mulvey
> Nashua, NH
> USA
>
>
>
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